His moment has come: Jean-Pierre Dick weighed anchor at 8.20 a.m. on Sunday morning and abandoned his sheltered waiting position off San Ciprian on the northern Spanish coast. The 47-year-old "gentleman skipper" has just under 300 nautical miles to go to the finish line of the Vendée Globe off Les Sables d'Olonne ("LSD"). The Vendée Globe fan community is holding its breath: can Dick complete his mission and actually navigate the "Virbac Paprec 3" "bottomless" through the choppy Bay of Biscay?
"I should reach Les Sables d'Olonne on Monday," said Jean-Pierre Dick. "The sea is still chaotic with very high waves. That's why I couldn't wait any longer and had to leave my anchorage as quickly as possible. The next heavy depression is expected on Tuesday. I'd better get to Les Sables d'Olonne before then."
There is optimism at the Vendée Globe headquarters. A spokeswoman told YACHT online: "We believe that he will make it. He is extremely determined." Dick resumed the regatta in what was initially a very light breeze. The winds are expected to pick up to a stable ten knots from the west by the afternoon. If all goes well, Jean-Pierre Dick should reach Les Sables d'Olonne on Monday - ahead of his pursuers Mike Golding and Jean Le Cam, who were 300 and almost 400 nautical miles behind Dick on Sunday morning.
Ready for the final sprint, the starting position for both "Silver Agers" before their final Biscay duel is clear: Golding's "Gamesa" recently had a lead of around 80 nautical miles over Jean Le Cam's "CynerCiel". The tactics of the slightly faster-sailing Brit seemed to be working. The two rivals are on opposite sides of an area of high pressure. Golding said: "It doesn't look too bad for me at the moment. It could be worse. The routers see me just ahead in their calculations at the moment. I like that!"
Whilst the leaders of the remaining fleet are heading towards their destination, Tanguy de Lamotte is struggling at sea with the consequences of the collision with a so-called "UFO", an unknown drifting object. Part of the starboard rudder of the "Initiatives Cœur" broke off. A centreboard and the centreboard box were also damaged. Tanguy de Lamotte reported water ingress, but so far has the situation under control. The French skipper is in contact with his technical team.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
